BLUEJAYSFAN9
02-24-2007, 09:45 AM
Setting the Scene: Johns Hopkins and Albany meet for the sixth time overall and for the second straight year in the season-opener for both teams.
Looking Back: Johns Hopkins posted a 9-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. Albany posted an 8-7 record and advanced to the America East Championship game before falling to host UMBC (19-10).
These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins concluded the 2006 season with an all-time record of 858-268-15 (.759). The Blue Jays own eight NCAA Championships, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 43 national championships.
Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked number one in this week's Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Johns Hopkins Sports Information Office uses the STX/USILA Coaches Poll as the team's official ranking. The initial 2007 coaches poll is due out next week.
Check the Calendar: This week's game is the earliest game in the history of the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse program. The Blue Jays opened the 2006 season against Albany on February 25 and had twice previously played on February 28 (1998, 2004). These represent the only four games in the history of the program that have been played in the month of February.
For Openers: Hopkins has won five straight season-openers and is 5-1 under head coach Dave Pietramala in season-openers. The six openers the Blue Jays have played under Pietramala have been decided by a total of just 15 goals and Hopkins has not allowed more than nine goals in a season-opener under Pietramala.
i will update if im near my computer otherwise go to http://www.laxpower.com/forums/updates/ click on hopkins VS albany and turn on autofresh. and it does live updates
More Openers: Johns Hopkins has not won a season-opener by more than three goals since a 20-8 win over Princeton in 1990. Current Associate Head Coach Bill Dwan was a starting defenseman on that Blue Jay sqaud.
Amazing, But True: Johns Hopkins dropped its final game of the 2006 season against Syracuse in the NCAA Quarterfinals (13-12). Thus, the Blue Jays enter the 2007 season having lost their last game. Since head coach Dave Pietramala took over in 2001 the Blue Jays have played 87 games and lost 15 times, but have never lost two games in a row.
Program Ties: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala and Albany head coach Scott Marr played together at Johns Hopkins and were both members of the 1987 NCAA Championship team. Current Hopkins assistant Bill Dwan joined Marr and Pietramala on the Blue Jay squad a year later.
Pietramala Among Hopkins Coaching Leaders: Dave Pietramala enters the 2007 season ranked fifth on the all-time victories list (72) and the all-time winning percentage list (.828) among JHU coaches who coached 25 or more games at Homewood. He could move as high as third on the career victories this season as he needs just two wins to pass Don Zimmerman (1984-90) on the list and six to pass Tony Seaman (1991-98).
Pietramala Stands Alone: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala is the only person in lacrosse history who has won an NCAA Division I Championship as a player (1987) and a head coach (2005). He is also the only person who has been named the national player of the year and the national coach of the year.
What's Back: The Blue Jays were one of the youngest teams in the nation last season, but still fought their way to within one goal of reaching the final four.
A year later the experience gained last season is evident in the stat sheet. The Blue Jays return players who accounted for 125 of their 138 (90.6%) goals last season and 55 of 69 (79.7%) assists they accumulated a year ago.
More Back: While injuries toyed with the depth chart last season, a quick look reveals more about what is back this season. Of the top 17 players who regularly appeared on the depth chart last season, six were freshmen, three were sophomors and five were juniors. Only three of the 17 graduated. Returning players combined for 112 starts last season.
Streaking: Johns Hopkins is 56-7 in its last 63 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 64-11 overall since the start of the 2002 season.
One-Goal Turnarounds: JHU is 24-5 in one-goal games under head coach Dave Pietramala and the Blue Jays have won 11 of their last 12 and 15 of their last 17 one-goal games. In its previous 29 one-goal games (covering a span from an 11-10 loss to Virginia in the 1988 NCAA Quarterfinals through the 2000 season), Hopkins was 15-14.
More One-Goal Notes: The Blue Jays have come from behind to win 10 times during their last 11 one-goal wins. In seven of those 10 come-from-behind one-goal wins the Blue Jays have come back from a deficit of two goals or more.
Overtime Notes: The Blue Jays are 10-2 in overtime under head coach Dave Pietramala and have currently won six straight overtime games. Players on the 2007 team who have scored game-winning goals in overtime:
• Junior Kevin Huntley punched home the game-winner in the second OT against Duke in 2005.
• Sophomore Brian Christopher scored 1:22 into OT against Loyola last season.
Extra-Man Offense Among Nation's Best: Johns Hopkins finished ninth in the nation in extra-man offense last season as the Blue Jays converted on 18-of-46 (.391) opportunities. A trio of current juniors - Kevin Huntley, Michael Doneger and Paul Rabil - all scored four extra-man goals on the year. Johns Hopkins has finished in the top 10 in the nation in extra-man offense four times in the last five years (2002-T4th, 2003-1st, 2004-5th, 2006-9th).
The unit may get an extra boost this season from new offensive coordinator Bobby Benson, who directed the offense at Loyola College last season and helped the Greyhounds lead the nation in extra man offense (24-of-43 / .558).
Faceoffs A Key: While there is never just one reason a team wins a game, the recent success of the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team can be traced, at least somewhat, to its success on faceoffs. Johns Hopkins finished the 2006 season ranked fourth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage (.608) as JHU won 183-of-301 on the year. Johns Hopkins has finished among the top seven in the nation in faceoff winning percentage in each of the last five years.
35 in a Row: Last year's NCAA Tournament bid was the 35th straight for Johns Hopkins, which missed the inaugural NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament in 1971, but has qualified for every one since. This is the longest streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in any Division I Team sport.
10 in a Row: The Blue Jays drew the number four seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. This marked the 10th consecutive year Johns Hopkins has been seeded in the top four in the tournament. By comparison, only two other schools (Syracuse & Georgetown) have even qualified for the tournament in each of the last 10 years.
One of Two: Junior midfielder Paul Rabil is one of just two Division I men's lacrosse players returning this season who earned First Team STX/USILA All-America honors (he joins Princeton goalie Alex Hewitt). Rabil became the first Johns Hopkins sophomore since A.J. Haugen in 1998 to earn First Team All-America when he took top honors a year ago. He led the Blue Jays in scoring last season with 25 goals and 13 assists for 38 points.
Streaking: Sophomore Brian Christopher scored at least one goal in each of the last 11 games of the 2006 season. His 11-game goal-scoring streak was the longest by a Johns Hopkins freshman midfielder in the last 25 years and his 11-game goal and point-scoring streaks were the longest by any member of last season's team.
Leader of the Pack-I: Junior attackman Kevin Huntley led the Blue Jays with 30 goals last season and ranked second in points with 36. His 53 career goals entering this season are the most of any returning player. He scored three goals and added two assists in last season's 10-8 win over Albany.
Leader of the Pack-II: Senior attackman Jake Byrne punched up 18 goals and 10 assists last season and finished third on the team in scoring with his 28 points. Best known for scoring the game-tying goal with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the 2005 NCAA Semifinal victory over Virginia, Byrne enters the 2006 season as JHU's career active scoring leader with 78 points (48 goals/30 assists).
Schwartzman Anchors Defense: Senior goalie Jesse Schwartzman has started 32 games in his career (JHU is 27-5 in those 32 games), has twice earned Honorable Mention All-America honors and was named the MVP of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. His is also the first player to start three seasons in goal for head coach Dave Pietramala.
If there was a season where an experienced goalie was essential it's this year as the Blue Jays lost one close defenseman to graduation (Matt Pinto), lost another for the year to an injury (Matt Drenan) and the other (Eric Zerrlaut) is figthing his way back from a fall injury.
Schwartzman posted an 8.15 goals against average and a .563 save percentage last season. He ranks ninth in school history in career saves (344) and boasts a solid 7.19 career goals against average.
Looking Back: Johns Hopkins posted a 9-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. Albany posted an 8-7 record and advanced to the America East Championship game before falling to host UMBC (19-10).
These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins concluded the 2006 season with an all-time record of 858-268-15 (.759). The Blue Jays own eight NCAA Championships, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 43 national championships.
Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked number one in this week's Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Johns Hopkins Sports Information Office uses the STX/USILA Coaches Poll as the team's official ranking. The initial 2007 coaches poll is due out next week.
Check the Calendar: This week's game is the earliest game in the history of the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse program. The Blue Jays opened the 2006 season against Albany on February 25 and had twice previously played on February 28 (1998, 2004). These represent the only four games in the history of the program that have been played in the month of February.
For Openers: Hopkins has won five straight season-openers and is 5-1 under head coach Dave Pietramala in season-openers. The six openers the Blue Jays have played under Pietramala have been decided by a total of just 15 goals and Hopkins has not allowed more than nine goals in a season-opener under Pietramala.
i will update if im near my computer otherwise go to http://www.laxpower.com/forums/updates/ click on hopkins VS albany and turn on autofresh. and it does live updates
More Openers: Johns Hopkins has not won a season-opener by more than three goals since a 20-8 win over Princeton in 1990. Current Associate Head Coach Bill Dwan was a starting defenseman on that Blue Jay sqaud.
Amazing, But True: Johns Hopkins dropped its final game of the 2006 season against Syracuse in the NCAA Quarterfinals (13-12). Thus, the Blue Jays enter the 2007 season having lost their last game. Since head coach Dave Pietramala took over in 2001 the Blue Jays have played 87 games and lost 15 times, but have never lost two games in a row.
Program Ties: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala and Albany head coach Scott Marr played together at Johns Hopkins and were both members of the 1987 NCAA Championship team. Current Hopkins assistant Bill Dwan joined Marr and Pietramala on the Blue Jay squad a year later.
Pietramala Among Hopkins Coaching Leaders: Dave Pietramala enters the 2007 season ranked fifth on the all-time victories list (72) and the all-time winning percentage list (.828) among JHU coaches who coached 25 or more games at Homewood. He could move as high as third on the career victories this season as he needs just two wins to pass Don Zimmerman (1984-90) on the list and six to pass Tony Seaman (1991-98).
Pietramala Stands Alone: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala is the only person in lacrosse history who has won an NCAA Division I Championship as a player (1987) and a head coach (2005). He is also the only person who has been named the national player of the year and the national coach of the year.
What's Back: The Blue Jays were one of the youngest teams in the nation last season, but still fought their way to within one goal of reaching the final four.
A year later the experience gained last season is evident in the stat sheet. The Blue Jays return players who accounted for 125 of their 138 (90.6%) goals last season and 55 of 69 (79.7%) assists they accumulated a year ago.
More Back: While injuries toyed with the depth chart last season, a quick look reveals more about what is back this season. Of the top 17 players who regularly appeared on the depth chart last season, six were freshmen, three were sophomors and five were juniors. Only three of the 17 graduated. Returning players combined for 112 starts last season.
Streaking: Johns Hopkins is 56-7 in its last 63 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 64-11 overall since the start of the 2002 season.
One-Goal Turnarounds: JHU is 24-5 in one-goal games under head coach Dave Pietramala and the Blue Jays have won 11 of their last 12 and 15 of their last 17 one-goal games. In its previous 29 one-goal games (covering a span from an 11-10 loss to Virginia in the 1988 NCAA Quarterfinals through the 2000 season), Hopkins was 15-14.
More One-Goal Notes: The Blue Jays have come from behind to win 10 times during their last 11 one-goal wins. In seven of those 10 come-from-behind one-goal wins the Blue Jays have come back from a deficit of two goals or more.
Overtime Notes: The Blue Jays are 10-2 in overtime under head coach Dave Pietramala and have currently won six straight overtime games. Players on the 2007 team who have scored game-winning goals in overtime:
• Junior Kevin Huntley punched home the game-winner in the second OT against Duke in 2005.
• Sophomore Brian Christopher scored 1:22 into OT against Loyola last season.
Extra-Man Offense Among Nation's Best: Johns Hopkins finished ninth in the nation in extra-man offense last season as the Blue Jays converted on 18-of-46 (.391) opportunities. A trio of current juniors - Kevin Huntley, Michael Doneger and Paul Rabil - all scored four extra-man goals on the year. Johns Hopkins has finished in the top 10 in the nation in extra-man offense four times in the last five years (2002-T4th, 2003-1st, 2004-5th, 2006-9th).
The unit may get an extra boost this season from new offensive coordinator Bobby Benson, who directed the offense at Loyola College last season and helped the Greyhounds lead the nation in extra man offense (24-of-43 / .558).
Faceoffs A Key: While there is never just one reason a team wins a game, the recent success of the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team can be traced, at least somewhat, to its success on faceoffs. Johns Hopkins finished the 2006 season ranked fourth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage (.608) as JHU won 183-of-301 on the year. Johns Hopkins has finished among the top seven in the nation in faceoff winning percentage in each of the last five years.
35 in a Row: Last year's NCAA Tournament bid was the 35th straight for Johns Hopkins, which missed the inaugural NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament in 1971, but has qualified for every one since. This is the longest streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in any Division I Team sport.
10 in a Row: The Blue Jays drew the number four seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. This marked the 10th consecutive year Johns Hopkins has been seeded in the top four in the tournament. By comparison, only two other schools (Syracuse & Georgetown) have even qualified for the tournament in each of the last 10 years.
One of Two: Junior midfielder Paul Rabil is one of just two Division I men's lacrosse players returning this season who earned First Team STX/USILA All-America honors (he joins Princeton goalie Alex Hewitt). Rabil became the first Johns Hopkins sophomore since A.J. Haugen in 1998 to earn First Team All-America when he took top honors a year ago. He led the Blue Jays in scoring last season with 25 goals and 13 assists for 38 points.
Streaking: Sophomore Brian Christopher scored at least one goal in each of the last 11 games of the 2006 season. His 11-game goal-scoring streak was the longest by a Johns Hopkins freshman midfielder in the last 25 years and his 11-game goal and point-scoring streaks were the longest by any member of last season's team.
Leader of the Pack-I: Junior attackman Kevin Huntley led the Blue Jays with 30 goals last season and ranked second in points with 36. His 53 career goals entering this season are the most of any returning player. He scored three goals and added two assists in last season's 10-8 win over Albany.
Leader of the Pack-II: Senior attackman Jake Byrne punched up 18 goals and 10 assists last season and finished third on the team in scoring with his 28 points. Best known for scoring the game-tying goal with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the 2005 NCAA Semifinal victory over Virginia, Byrne enters the 2006 season as JHU's career active scoring leader with 78 points (48 goals/30 assists).
Schwartzman Anchors Defense: Senior goalie Jesse Schwartzman has started 32 games in his career (JHU is 27-5 in those 32 games), has twice earned Honorable Mention All-America honors and was named the MVP of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. His is also the first player to start three seasons in goal for head coach Dave Pietramala.
If there was a season where an experienced goalie was essential it's this year as the Blue Jays lost one close defenseman to graduation (Matt Pinto), lost another for the year to an injury (Matt Drenan) and the other (Eric Zerrlaut) is figthing his way back from a fall injury.
Schwartzman posted an 8.15 goals against average and a .563 save percentage last season. He ranks ninth in school history in career saves (344) and boasts a solid 7.19 career goals against average.